Three SNRE Professors Contribute to National Climate Change Report

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Dave Breshears, Gregg Garfin, and Jim Buizer are among 240 authors to contribute to a comprehensive national assessment of climate change which was released by the White House this week. The report informs U.S. citizens, communities and businesses on the science of climate change, observed and projected changes, and impacts across the country. The University of Arizona has eight authors contributing to the study, more than any other University. Garfin was the lead author on the Southwest Regional chapter, Breshears contributed to the chapter on Foresty, and Buizer to the Mitigation and Sustained Assessment chapters.

Gregg Garfin also led the development of the Southwest technical input, a 500-page book published in 2013 by Island Press that informed several chapters of the NCA, including a chapter devoted entirely to climate change in the Southwest. According to the NCA, the Southwest region is particularly vulnerable to future climate changes, with warming occurring faster than any other region in the country. Water supply is projected to become less reliable in parts of the region and more wildfires will increase risks to even more communities across extensive areas.